Ledger-type memorial and sepulcher.



A. W. GRAHAM.

LEDGER TYPE MEMORIAL AND SEPULCHER.

attommg i STAS ANDREW W. GRAHAM, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB, OF ONE-HALF TO ELLIS M.

TREAT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

i LEDGER TYPE MEMORIAL AND SEPULCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. so, 1917.

Application filed August {30, 1916. Serial No. 117,696.

To all whom it may concern: Be 1t known that 1, ANDREW V. GRAHAM,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.

Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State. of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ledger-Type Memorials and Sepulchers, of which the followthe number of interments to such as could be may be made beneath such a ledger type me morial without the necessity of movmg the ledger stone from its original position.

A second nnportant ob ect of the invention is the provision of a ledger stone hav ing, an opening therein affording access to an underground sepulcher, the opening being normally covered by a memorial stone capable of being moved laterally to uncover and cover such opening.

A third important object of the invention is the provision of improved means for first raising the memorial vertically out of contact with the ledger stone and then effecting lateral movement of such memorial to open the sepulcher, the reversal of the operations effecting closure of the sepulcher and seating of the memorial on the ledger stone.

Vith the above and other objects in View, as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel combinations of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a ledger type memorial constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section showing the wedge mechanism used herewith.

In carrying out the objects of the invention I provide an underground sepulcher which is peferably of the reinforced concrete waterproofed type disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 1,167,291 and 1,167,292 J any i, 1916 and of which only the upper part is here deemed necessary to be shown as at- 10. This sepulcher is provided with the usual access opening 11 and seated on top of the sepulcher is a ledger stone 12 having an opening 13 therethro-ugh which registers with the opening 11 of the sepulcher.

Normally covering this opening 13 and resting on the stone 12 is a memorial stone 1% of the massive type and which is preferably monolithic. This memorial is provided with a recess or chamber 15 in its under side. In this chamber 15 is mounted the supporting and actuating means for raising the me morial and moving it laterally. This consists of a carriage 16 having bearing boxes 17 adjacent its corners and provided with parallel shafts l8 and 19, the shaft 18 having rollers 20 fixed thereon while the remaining shaft 19 has rollers 21 thereon which may be fixed to or revoluble on said shaft. Furthermore the shaft 18 has fixed thereon, centrally of its length a worm wheel 22 wherewith meshes a worm 23 fixed on a shaft 24 provided with a wrench receiving polygonal end 25.

The upper side portions of this carriage are downwardly and outwardly inclined as at 26. This carriage has above it a plurality of bolsters 27 having the under faces 28 of their ends upwardly and outwardly inclined to correspond with the faces 26. Between the faces 28 and 26 are wedges 29, there thus being one of these wedges near each corner of the memorial stone. These wedges are connected in pairs by bars 30 having right and left handed threaded ends engaging threaded openings in the wedges 29 so that when the bars are turned in one direction the wedges of each pair will be drawn toward each other and when the bars are turned in the opposite direction said wedges will be forced apart. In order to prevent friction rollers 31 are provided between said wedges and the inclined carriage and bolster surfaces and these rollers have journal ends fitting in vertical slots 32 in guide plates 33 secured to the carriage. Thus the drawing together of the wedges effects vertical movement of the bolsters and stone 28 so that the latter may be lifted out of contact with the ledger stone to permit movement to uncover the opening 18.

In order to effect this movement of the wedges there is provided a worm shaft 341 which extends transversely of the threaded rods and has squared ends 35 for the reception of a wrench, said ends being accessible through openings 36 in the stone 14L. On this shaft 3d are worms 37 which mesh with worm wheels 38 fixed on the rods 30. By this means rotation of the shaft 3 will. effect simultaneous raising or lowering of all four corners of the stone 141 until an opening 89 in said stone 14L, which is normally out of alinement therewith, is brought opposite the squared end 25 when the Wrench may be applied to said end 25 and the stone 1% rolled in one direction or the other at will.

Plates 40 serve to carry the shaft 34: and

are fixed to the bolsters but have pin and slot connection, as shown at ll, with the carriage.

It is obvious that modifications may be made, as for instance the wedges may be caused to revolve with the bars 30 and threaded exteriorly to engage threaded sockets after the fashion of expansion bolts. I do not therefore desire to confine myself to the exact form herein shown and described but wish to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed. 7

Having thus described the invention, what is'claimed as new, is

1. The combination with a sepulcher having an opening in its top; of aledger stone resting on top of said sepulcher and having an opening registering with the first mentioned opening, a memorial normally covering said openings and resting on the ledger stone, means to raise said memorial clear of said ledger stone, and means to roll said memorial across the top of said ledger stone to uncover and cover said openings.

2. The combination with a sepulcher having an opening in its top; of a ledger stone resting on top of said sepulcher and having an opening registering with the first mentioned opening, a memorial normally covering said openings and resting on the ledger stone, said memorial having a chamber in its under side, a wheel supported carriage in said chamber, bolsters above said carriage and on which the memorial is adapted to rest, means to force said bolsters upward away from said carriage and thereby raise said memorial, and other means to rotate certain of said wheels and move the carriage laterally.

3. The combination with a sepulcher having an opening in its top; of a ledger stone resting on top of said sepulcher and having an opening registering with the first men tioned opening, a memorial normally covering said openings and resting on the ledger stone, said memorial having a chamber in its under side, a wheel supported carriage in said chamber, bolsters above said carriage and on which the memorial is adapted to rest, roller wedges between said bolsters and carriage arranged in opposed pairs,-1neans to draw the wedges of the several pairs toward each other simultaneously, a shaft having two of said wheels fixed thereto, and means to rotate said shaft after the wedges have been drawn toward each other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDRElV WV. GRAHAM. iVitnesses:

L. N. GILLIs,

ALBERT POPKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

